


First Meeting

by LoneStarSpidey



Series: Young Avengers [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Harley Keener is Iron Lad, Iron Family, Irondad, Mostly compliant with Civil War but with a few minor changes, ironson, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 16:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18760117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneStarSpidey/pseuds/LoneStarSpidey
Summary: Steve Rogers had decided that the law no longer applies to him, and Tony Stark is determined to remind him that it does. But to do it, he's going to need some help. Enter none other than Peter Parker and Harley Keener.Part 2 of Young Avengers. Details how Peter Parker and Harley keener first met, became thick as thieves, and the birth of the Young Avengers Initiative.





	First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy y'all. Sorry it took me a bit to get this one out, as you can see, it's a little on the long side. It also got me thinking, and I'm going to be starting a new series set before the Post-Endgame Young Avengers verse to run along side it while I work on the even bigger sequel to this. It'll detail the development of the relationship between Peter, Harley, and Tony between Civil War and the end of Infinity War/beginning of Endgame. Anyway, I'll stop yammering now. Here's the new story. Hope you enjoy.

Peter and Happy arrived at the Regent Berlin late that afternoon. It was a nicer hotel, a nicer anywhere, than Peter had ever even stepped foot before. Polished marble on the floors walls and doorways, mahogany furniture, crystal chandeliers, and absolutely everything was trimmed in gold. And not fake gold, actual gold. It was like some kind of palace, but not, because it was actually a hotel. An extremely nice hotel.

“Oh my god, look at this place!” Peter exclaimed as they made their way through the lobby. 

“Yeah it’s great,” Happy replied, dismissive of the boy’s awe, “Just keep moving.”

Making their way to the reception desk, Peter continued to marvel at the place as Happy talked with the receptionist.

“Welcome to the Regent Berlin, how may I help you sir?” the young woman behind the desk greeted cheerfully.

“Yeah, I’m Happy Hogan, here with one guest. The other two are on their way. We’re booked for two of your deluxe suites?”

The receptionist did some typing on her computer before acquiring the desired results.

“Ah, yes Mr. Hogan, we have you booked for rooms 783, 784, and the Penthouse Suite. Will you be paying now, or later?”

“Later, and it’s the other guy’s job. He’s the one with the money.”

“Very well sir, here are your keys.” She said handing him a pair of key cards, “Enjoy your stay at Regent Berlin!”

“Yeah thanks,” Happy said, turning back to where Peter had been standing moments before, “Alright kid-kid?”

Peter had wandered over to so other part of the lobby, videotaping everything. Happy let out a groan as he made his way over. The kid was still narrating.

“Oh my god this is so cool! Look at that chandelier! Look at that mirror!”

“Kid!”

“Oh Happy! Have you seen this place? It’s amazing!”

“Yeah, it’s fantastic. LET’S GO.” Happy said pointing towards the elevator.

After an elevator ride and some hallway navigating, they eventually reached their rooms. Each on the other side of the hallway from the other.

“That ones yours” Happy said motioning to the one on the right, “Pick one of the rooms, and get yourself settled in for the evening. There should be a 

“Oh we’re neighbors!”

“We’re not roommates. Speaking of which, yours should be here inside of an hour. You two need to be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning. We aren’t missing Captain America over a pair of kids staying up to late.”

“Wait, I’m gonna have a roommate?” Peter asked, “What roommate?”

By this point Happy had already gone into his room, and shut the door behind him.

“Happy! What roommate!?”

\-----

A couple of months ago Tony had begun a hunt for some new talent. With the addition of Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, and Vision to the Avengers, Tony found himself putting more and more effort into the project. Ultron had been an attempt to put a suit of armor around the entire world, but it had very obviously not gone in that direction. But it wasn’t the idea that was flawed. The world needed protection, desperately. But Tony had been wrong to think that it needed to be mechanized. This team, The Avengers, could be that suit of armor if only it were big enough. So, Tony decided it was time to open the doors to some new blood. Which brought him primarily to two individuals from Queens in New York, New York and Nashville, Tennessee. Both were becoming fairly well known through social media, and the growing buzz is what had brought Stark’s attention to them in the first place.

The first, from Queens, was known as the “Spider-Man”, and he was remarkably impressive. In his powers anyway, his costume liked like a pair of pajamas with a spider logo slapped on the chest. Other than that though, remarkably impressive. He could lift a bus with his bare hands, stop a car moving 40 miles an hour without budging, and he had produced some kind of web material that was at least as strong, though probably much stronger than steel. He had eventually tracked this “Spider-Man” back to an unassuming fourteen year old boy named Peter Parker. He’d kept an eye on the kid for a bit before finally caving to emergency and going in to recruit him for his fight with Rogers and those that had sided with him. Peter was a good kid, the kind that wormed his way right into your heart the moment you met him. He had arranged for Happy to take care of the details of picking the boy up from his apartment in Queens and getting him to that supposed Internship Retreat in Berlin that they’d told his aunt about. Tony would have loved to do it himself, lord knows he wanted to get to know him better, but unfortunately there was another “intern” that needed his personal attention.

This was his other person of interest, from Nashville. This one had been every bit as worrying as he had been intriguing. “Iron Lad” is what the web and the papers were calling him. But it took Tony all of five seconds to call him exactly who he was, Harley Tyler Keener. The dots connected instantly. The videos were all over the place, some very obvious teenage boy running, often times flying, around in parts of an Iron Man-esque suit of armor that greatly resembled the Mk. 42. Hardly surprising either, he had left the Mk.42 alone with that kid, who at age 12 was smart enough to spar with Tony effing Stark, for almost a week. The boy had probably run down the schematics of the thing forwards and backwards eight times at least before Tony finally called the thing out of his garage. It all made perfect sense. The only thing that had him beat was the location. But after doing some research, that all fell into place as well. It seemed Abigaile, god bless her, had seen the writing on the walls. If they stayed in that little town, meals were only going to become harder and harder to come by, and her children, especially her son with a genius level intellect, were never going to get an education that helped them realize their full potential. So, in 2014, the Keeners packed up their bags and moved to Nashville seeking better fortunes. The effort had worked too. Abigaile had managed to become a registered nurse, and the better, more steady pay had landed the Keeners in a far more favorable position than they ever were in Rose Hill. Harley had managed to keep most of the set up Tony had had built in for him, the apartment they rented out had a fully functioning garage set up just underneath it, and now Harley was using the tools the mechanic had given him to live a secret life as a vigilante. Seems the best way for a teenager to become a superhero was for their single parent to work in nursing, because between Harley and Peter the going rate for nurses with crime fighting children was two for two. Tony was at a serious cross roads. On one hand, he had essentially assured this kid would take this route just meeting him. In a way Iron Lad was all Tony’s doing. Encouraging this behavior would only make the situation more dangerous for him. Peter was one thing, sure he was a year Harley’s younger, but he could lift a greyhound bus one handed. The only thing standing between Harley and a sudden, violent demise was a rinky dink mk. 42 rip off. Not even the whole thing, just the helmet, breast plate, gauntlets, and lower leggings. The rest was denim and flannel. But that brought in the other hand. If Harley was anything like Tony, or Peter, or Steve Rogers, or any of the other brave souls that thrust themselves into the dangerous world of superheroics, then Tony Stark dropping into his apartment for the first time in three years and smacking him upside the head with a curt warning to “cut that shit out” would only make Harley more stubborn, and even less likely to seek outside help. The least Tony could do was help the boy. Make sure he actually had something to fight with, to protect himself with. Something that would make sure that he didn’t sneak out of the house one night, never to return. And besides, Tony had been in a tough spot. Steve Rogers had decided that the law no longer applied to him, and half the Avengers had decided that they agreed with him. Half of Tony Stark’s suit of armor around the world had gone rogue, including one of its strongest, most important members. If Harley Keener wanted to go out and do good in the world, and there was even a chance that he might take up arms with Tony to keep it safe from the fallout of Steve’s sudden misguided libertarian ideals, then Tony was in no position to refuse him. 

And so here Tony was, walking up the stairs to the front door of the Keener residence. Just before school let out, so he could get the drop on the kid the same way he’d gotten the drop on Peter. Prepared with the same fantastical idea of a Stark Industries Internship Retreat in Germany that he had prepared for May Parker when convincing her to let her nephew abscond across the Atlantic to fight highly dangerous international fugitives. He made sure his suit was free of wrinkles, dusted off his sleeves, made sure he was looking his dashing, charming best, and rang the doorbell.

“Just a minute!” came the voice from behind the door.

“Oh, you take your time!” Tony called back, in his distinctly Tony Stark manner. 

The other side of the door went quiet, then the sound of stumbling, as the door hastily unlocked, and flew open.

“Tony Stark!?” Abigaile gasped, taken aback by the man in front of her. Again. 

“Abigale Keener!” Tony replied, “Lovely to see you again. Do you have a moment?”

“I’ve actually got to be going here soon, but I have a few.”

“Excellent. Would you mind if I stepped in?”

“Oh of course, of course.”

Tony stepped into the apartment, Abigaile closing the door behind him. It was larger and nicer than the Parker residence, but property was far cheaper in Nashville than it was in the cash vacuum of New York City. So it evened out.

“So, uh, Tony, what brings you down our way...again?” Abigaile asked, more than a little confused, and with just the slightest bit of apprehension. She didn't need her family’s life being thrown for a loop right now. Tony caught onto that pretty quick. 

“Oh, nothing bad, I assure you.” he said, trying to calm the poor woman’s nerves, “I actually come bearing some very good news for you and yours. Especially Harley. Speaking of whom, where is the little squirt?”

“Oh, he’s probably on his was back from school right now.” 

“Great, I was hoping I might be able to surprise him. Anyway, getting back to why I’m here. I’ve gotten to the point in my life where the hill leading downward instead of upwards, and it got me thinking about the future, especially for Stark Industries. So, Pepper and I did some talking and we’ve decided to open up an intern program for the company. We’ve been going through candidates for an Internship Retreat in Germany, but it struck me the other night that I already knew at least one bright young mind who could use a shot, so I decided to come down here to invite him personally.”

Abigaile’s eyes lit up. She was a hard, hard, hard working woman, and she worked that way because she wanted the best for her children. She’d spent money she didn’t have to make sure Harley had gotten into a private engineering high school so that he could thrive to his best potential. The chance for her boy to have an internship at Stark Industries, possibly working side by side with Tony Stark himself, to him to be able to advance himself like that was everything she had ever wanted and more. 

“Tha-that’s fantastic!” she said, “Thank you so so much for keeping Harley in mind.”

“Think nothing of it. Now there are a couple things I’d have to run over with you.”

“Oh of course, of course. Here.” she said motioning back into the apartment, “Let’s go take a seat in the kitchen. Can I get you anything/ Coffee, glass of water?”

“A glass of water would be fantastic, thank you.”

The kitchen wasn’t bad. Stainless steel refrigerator, microwave, and oven. An island bar in the middle, which he promptly took a seat at. Abigaile poured the glass of water out of the fridge, and handed it to Tony before taking the seat across the bar from him.

“Now, about this Internship Retreat. First of all, it’s in Germany, and it will last the entire weekend. This weekend actually, so if you all agree to this, we would need to be leaving very shortly if we want to make it there on time. All expenses would be payed by me, of course.”

“Oh. That is a little urgent isn’t it?”

“Yeah, kinda is.”

“Well, I suppose if it’s okay with him, it’s okay with me. Lacey’s 13 now, she probably doesn’t need a babysitter anymore.”

“Excellent! I’ve got some paperwork you’’ have to fill out here. You can do it at your leisure, just have it faxed to this address here.” he said, tapping at the address at the bottom of the page, “by the end of the weekend.”

“Oh of course, of course.” she said, taking the papers and looking them over. 

As she was reading, a noise came from the front of the apartment. Someone was unlocking the door. Harley was home. 

\-----

Getting home from school was usually a fairly complicated task. He had to take three different buses to get from his apartment to school and then back again. And then there was still the walk form the bus stop. By now though, Harley had gotten used to it. Today had been a good day. All his quizzes had gone well, the usual crowd of bullies didn’t have anything to say. A fantastic day all and all. The first irregular thing he noticed was the Bugatti sitting outside their apartment. No one who lived there had that kind of money, and know one they knew had that kind of money. No one except for…

“Oh crap.” he said out loud, staring at the car in front of him. 

The only person they knew with even remotely this kind of wealth was Tony Stark. And Tony had absolutely no reason to be here. Unless Tony knew about Iron Lad. And if he knew about Iron Lad, and he was already here, that probably meant he’d already told Ma about Iron Lad, which could mean all kinds of cane for Harley. He should have seen this coming. Tony was damn smart, and the chances that he wouldn’t ever hear about some kid running around fighting crime in Tennessee using his tech were practically zero. He should have seen this coming. He should have prepared something, anything, in case this happened. But he hadn’t, and now Tony was here, and Harley was totally busted. 

He had been standing staring at this car for a couple minutes now. And it wasn’t doing him any favors. All he could do now was head inside and face the music. Who knew, maybe Tony would be...happy...or proud of what he did? Hey, maybe it wasn’t even Tony. Maybe they who ever it was wasn’t even there to visit them, just parking there to go somewhere else. Hope for the best, and all. So, taking the keys from his backpack, he marched up the stairs to the apartment door. It felt like marching up to the scaffold, but what else could he do?

He unlocked the door and headed inside. 

“Hey Ma! I’m home!” he shouted, trying desperately to hide the terror in his voice. 

“Hi sweety! Welcome home!” she called back from the kitchen.

She didn’t sound angry at all. She sounded like she had every other day of the week. Harley felt a wave of relief wash over him. See, he was just panicking. Nothing had really gone wrong at all. His secret was safe, and his great day was still great. 

“I’m in the kitchen!” she continued, “I’ve got a surprise for you, why don’t ya come on back?”

A surprise? Shit. Shit shit shit. Surprise meant unexpected. Surprise probably meant Tony Stark. Surprise meant busted. Surprise meant bad. He sucked in his breath, and headed for the kitchen, setting his backpack down on the couch along the way. Harley entered the kitchen and sure enough, there he was. Tony Stark, sitting at the island in an Italian suit. Harley feigned shock.

“Hey there champ. What you been up to lately?”

Oh he definitely knew. 

“Tony! What-uh. What are you doing here?” Harley said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Well, your wonderful mother and I were discussing the possibility of you accompanying me to a Stark Industries Internship Retreat this weekend.”

“Internship Retreat?” Harley asked, taken aback. He hadn’t been expecting this. There might be more than a chewing out going on here. 

“That’s right honey, and it’s in Germany!” his mother added, “I think this is a wonderful opportunity, Harley. An internship with Tony Stark can get you a lot of places.”

“Your mother’s certainly right, pipsqueak. It really can.” said Tony, “So, what do you say?”

“I-I-I” Harley was lost for words. He wasn’t expecting to get invited to Germany when he got home from school. This whole thing had been very shocking. Though, now that he thought about it, Tony might be playing an angle on this. 

“Speechless, eh?” Tony snarked.

Suddenly Abigaile’s watch went off. 

“I’m sorry, but it looks like I’ve got to be going now.” she said, “I’ll leave the two of you to keep talking about it. Harley, if you decide to go, give me a phone call. This is a great opportunity, and I am so excited for you. You have a good night, or weekend.” She made her way towards the kitchen door, giving Harley a hug and a kiss on the forehead, “ I love you sweety.”

“Love you too, Ma.” Harley said, hugging her back. 

Harley and Tony waited in silence until they had heard Abigaile leave and the door shut and lock behind her. 

“So,” Harley said, “How much trouble am I in?”

“Nowhere near as much as you should be, kid.” Tony said, the lively tone leaving his voice near instantaneously. “What you’re doing is dangerous, Harley. What the hell are you thinking going out there and doing this shit every night?”

“Tony, I’m just trying to help people.”

“And when you end up getting yourself killed, is that going to be helping people? Is that going to help your mother and your sister?”

“I’m not going to get myself killed, Tony. I have the armor.”

“Armor? You call that thing armor!? I’ve seen paintball suits with better protection than that pile of junk you put on!”

“It’s not a pile of junk!” Harley shouted, that last bit had hurt, and Harley wasn’t going to just sit there and take it, “It works! It can shoot, it can fly, and it’s kept me safe so far! How many 15 year-old's do you know that have built a suit of fucking iron man armor!?”

Tony could tell he’d said something he shouldn’t when the kid had an outburst. If Harley was anything like he was, and oh he was, then his armor was his pride and joy. Insulting his armor was second only to going after his mother and sister. 

“Look, I don’t really mean that.” Tony said, attempting to apologize for the error, “And you’re right. I don’t know any other 15 year-old's who’ve built functioning iron man suit. Matter of fact, I don’t know of anyone who’s ever successfully replicated the suit. Any of them. Not even the Mk. 1. You’re the first one, kid. And that’s why I’m here.”

“So, the internship is…” 

“Oh yeah, that’s all bullshit. I don’t need a bunch of teenagers running around my workshop. Though I do need you to come to Germany with me.”

“Why?”

“You been watching the news lately?”

“Kinda. I don’t usually have time for it, but I’ve heard alot about Captain America going crazy.”

“That’s a great way of putting it, Harley. And you’re aware of Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross?”

“Yeah. Patriot, War Hero, Upstanding American”

“Ruthless heel on a power trip.”

“Yeah, that too, but I’d be careful where I say that. He’s got a lot of support down here. A lot of people want him to run for President.”

Tony laughed, “God forbid that ever should ever happen. Anyway, he’s given me 72 hours to take Cap and his wacky friends down. Unfortunately, I’m a bit short handed. Which brings me to you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. How you feel about an upgrade kid?”

“Am upgrade?”

“That’s right. Top to bottom full makeover. You’ll need it if you’re gonna fight Captain America.”

“What!?” Harley shouted, “I can’t fight Captain America! He’s got super strength, and super powers, and a vibranium shield!” 

“I mean, not in that thing you’re running around in now you can’t. But I’ve got something for you that can.”

“You do?” Harley asked curiously, but his apprehensiveness soon returned, “Wait, who ever even said I wanted to fight Captain America?”

“Oh, no one. And I’m not really asking, either.” Tony replied, “But I can give you some motivation. If you fight me on this, I tell Abigaile about your fancy nightlife, and Iron Lad gets shut down for good.”

“So you’re blackmailing me then?”

“I don’t know, kid. Did you steal my tech?”

“I didn’t steal anything from you, Tony.”

“Oh really? You replicated my patented technology without my permission, Harley. Otherwise known as stealing.”

Shit, he was right. 

“Besides, it’s not like this doesn’t have any benefits that come with it. If you do decide to come with me, help me bring in Cap, prove to me that you can handle yourself out there, then you can keep your new, actual suit of armor, and continue your vigilante lifestyle with my complete funding and support.”

That caught Harley’s attention big time, his head perking up from the dejection it had rested in just moments before.

“Really? You mean it?’

“Every word. So, you in?”

Harley had to think. On one hand, this was some dangerous stuff he was getting into hear. Captain America and his new “Rogue Avengers” weren’t street thugs and muggers. They had powers. Incredible powers. Some of which Harley couldn’t even comprehend. But on the other hand, the benefits. An actually functioning Iron Lad suit. The full support of Tony Stark in all his future endeavors. It might just be worth it. 

“Yeah,” said Harley, “I’m in.”

“Great!” Tony exclaimed, getting up from his seat and pulling out his phone, “Go pack your bags kid, we gotta be getting out of here quick if we’re gonna make our flight.”

\-----

They arrived at the Regent Berlin at about 7 o’clock. He’d gotten a text from Happy two hours earlier letting Tony know he and Peter had already arrived. Harley was every bit in an awe of the lobby as Peter had been before him, though he was a bit less obvious about it. Tony walked up to the same reception desk, payed off their bill, and grabbed their keys. Then they headed to the elevator. They got in, and Tony pushed the buttons for floor seven and the penthouse.

“Oh one last thing,” Tony said, “You’re not the only “intern” coming with me on this retreat. You’ve got a roommate. You know how you.ve turned a big thing on YouTube?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Well, have you ever seen any of those videos of the “Spider-Man” from New York?”

“Yeah.” Harley replied, “Swings around, webs up muggers, stops car accidents with his bare hands.”

“Yeah, cool guy right? Anyway, turns out he really ought to be called “Spider-Boy” or something like that. You’re sharing a suite with him. His name is Peter Parker, and he’s 14 years old. He’s damn smart, but still, a 14 year old. You may need to take point on some things. Anyway, you’ll love the kid. He’s into all the same dorky stuff you are, bubbly personality, you two should get along great.”

The elevator bell rang as they reached Harley’s floor.

“Alright, this is you kid. Room 784, it’s on the right.” Tony said, handing Harley his key card. “Head to your room, get settled in. Try out your new tech, do some ice breaking with Peter, and make sure to get to bed on time. You’ll need the rest.”

Tony could tell Harley was starting to get cold feet about the whole thing. Kid was 15 and he was about to go fight Captain America. Not an easy task for anyone. 

“Don’t worry about it kid, you’ll be fine.” Tony said walking backwards into the elevator, “Wanna know how I know?”

Harley decided to humor him, “How?”

“Because kid,” Tony said, a cheeky smile crawling up his face, “We’re connected.”

With that the elevator doors shut, Tony was gone, and Harley was standing alone in the hallway. 

\-----

Peter had found the new suit in the suite’s living room, in a large metal box with a letter that read “For Peter: A Minor Upgrade -TS” on top of it. There was another one next to it, marked for someone named Harley. That must be the roommate Happy had been talking about. The suit itself was amazing. Sleek, athletic, and the eyes were so freaking cool. He must have raved about for an hour at least before discovering the wrist projector. He had spent the last hour looking at that. Going through all the web combinations, checking everything out. Then he heard the front door unlock and open. Must be his roommate.

“Hello?” he heard a voice call from the entry. It had a distinctly southern twang to it. “Anyone in here?”

“Yeah!” Peter shouted back, “Back here.”

He heard a sack hitting the ground out by the bedrooms, and then another boy walked into the living room. He was tall, had brownish blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was wearing a black slacks, with a button up the same color, and a grey vest over it. 

“Hey man, I’m hearin ya, but I ain’t seein ya.” he said.

Oh yeah. Sometimes Peter forgot when he was sitting on the ceiling. He plopped down, and landed on the floor with a thud. The other boy screamed, and jumped back a little when he did, picking up a paper weight of the desk behind him and chucking it at Peter.

“Hey hey hey hey!!!” Peter shouted deflecting the object, and ripping his mask off, “It’s me! I’m friendly! I’m your roommate!”

The boy tilted his head and looked him over, the initial shock fading, “What the hell are you wearing?” he asked.

“Oh this is the new suit Mr Stark made for me!” Peter said, pointing over to the open briefcase, “I’m Peter, Peter Parker. Though the news has been calling me Spider-Man. You’re Harley right?”

“Yeah, Harley Keener. Iron Lad.”

“Like from YouTube? Dude, I’ve seen your videos, you are so cool!”

“Thanks, you too.”

“Not as cool as you. I mean come on, you made your own suit of Iron Man armor. No one’s ever done that before!”

“You’re giving me too much credit, Parker. You can juggle cars like tennis balls, and I’ve been watching that webbing of yours too. Tensile strength on that stuff must be off the charts!”

“Eh, I make it in my chemistry class. Anyway, there’s another one of those suitcases over there. I think it’s for you.”

Harley looked over to the table in the middle of the room, sure enough right next to the suitcase Peter had already opened, was another one, still closed. Harley walked over, picking up the note on top of it, reading it aloud. 

“For Harley; A Minor Upgrade -TS.”

“Mine said the same thing.” said Peter, “Though I definitely wouldn’t call this minor.”

Harley opened the case, to find a black glass like screen with flashing outlines of hands etched onto them. After observing it for a moment, Harley carefully lowered his hands onto the glass, and was frozen stiff as the armor lept out and crawled over his body. 

“Holy shit!” both he and Peter exclaimed in unison.

“Dude, you look so freaking cool!” Peter shouted, “Go look in the mirror!”

Harley walked over in the view of the mirror next to the door. Parker was right. This armor was amazing. It had kept his Red-Silver color scheme, but it was so much more advanced. It looked a lot like the current Iron Man armor, but way sleeker, slimmer. That was probably because it lacked all the additional firepower Iron Man had. Made enough sense though, no 15 year-old needed to be running around with machine guns and missile launchers. It had kept the hand repulsors and rocket boots though.

“Jesus, you’re right.” Harley stammered, “This suit is amazing!”

They spent the next hour or so just gawking over each other suits until they seemingly had nothing left to gush over. 

“So, what all is there to do around here?” Harley asked.

“You’re basic hotel stuff really. Cable, room service. But check this out.” Peter said opening the cabinet below the television, “The TV has a Stark System and it’s got Mario Kart!”

Harley pondered this for a moment, before finally replying, “I call dibs on Wario.”

“That’s fine.” said Peter, tossing Harley a controller, “I’m more of a Luigi guy anyway.”

“Ten bucks says I pulverize ya.” Harley taunted.

“Oh, you’re on!” Peter replied.

And so the night passed, and hours faded away, until the pair realized it was two in the morning, and they had to be up in four hours. They changed out of their suits, and headed to bed, leaving a trashed living room behind them. Tony had been right, Peter Parker and Harley Keener got along perfectly.

\-----

“Alright, here’s the deal.” said Tony, “Neither of you are going to show head or hair of yourselves until I expressly say so. Hopefully that doesn’t have to happen, but odds are it will, so I want you two to stay hidden until I say so. Got it?”

“Got it?” they replied in unison.

“Good. So here’s how this goes down, you’re both getting code names. Peter, you’re Underoos. Harley, you’re Mini Me.” Tony explained, “Peter, do you see that hangar over there?”

“Yeah.”

“You wait there until I call you. When I do flip over to where I’ll be standing, right in front of that Helicopter over there, and use that webbing of yours to snag that shield. We take away Captain America’s mighty shield, and he gets a lot less mighty, understand?”

Peter shook his head.

“Good,” said Tony, “Now, Harley, you’re going to be on top of the traffic control tower. When Cap makes his move, he’s probably gonna go for that helicopter I was talking about earlier. When you see him make a run for it, you give it a little shot from your disabling blasts, all you have to do is say it and the suit’ll load it for you, and shut down the copter. He’s not getting out of here today.If things get harry, you get down here and try to catch someone off guard. Got it?”

Harley shook his head as well.

“Perfect. So let’s talk about the event of a fight taking place. If things get messy, I want you two to try to stick together. Don’t throw yourselves in too hard, and don’t take on anyone too far above your pay grade. Try to avoid Cap, Barnes, and Maximoff. Stick after the softer targets, like Falcon. Alright? Alright. Another important note, Peter?”

“Yeah.”

“No matter how harry things get, hold onto that shield at all costs. Cap gets his shield back, and we’re in trouble. Got it?”

“Got it, Mr Stark.”

“Alright, so you tow repeat the plan back to me. I need to make sure you have it down pat. One thing goes wrong and we’re all screwed.” said Tony. 

“Alright,” Harley, “First, my code name is Mini Me, and I’m on the traffic tower. I take out the helicopter as soon as I see Captain America making a move on it.”

“Right. Peter?”

“My code name is Underoos, and I’m in the hangar. When you give me the signal, I swoop in and grab Captain America’s shield.”

“Good. Then what?”

“If things get dicey, we stick together, and try to avoid harder targets.” said Harley.

“And I make sure to keep a hold of that shield at all costs.” Peter added. 

“Actually, I’ve changed my mind.” Tony injected, “Try to hang onto the shield, but if your life depends on giving it up, do it. Absolutely do it. Understand?”

Peter nodded. 

“Fantastic. Sounds like the pair of you have the plan down pat. Now get to your positions, and keep your comms on. I’ll let you know when things are getting started.”

With that the boys headed off, Peter swinging off to his place in the hangar, and Harley flying to the top of the air traffic control tower.

Tony pressed the comms device on his ear, “Rhodey, are they here yet?”

“Yeah,” Rhodes replied, “They’re in the parking garage. Rogers, Barnes, Wilson, Maximoff, and Barton. Plus one new guy I’ve never seen or heard of before.”

“Alright, let me know if there’s any new developments.”

“You got it, Tony.” Rhodes said, exiting comms. 

Tony looked out over the airport. If they didn’t take Cap in the others in here, Ross was going to do it himself, and then there would be hell to pay. 

“God please let this work.”

-

Things had been going so well, at first. Harley had taken down the chopper with perfect timing, and Peter had snagged the shield right when he’d called him. But then it all went wrong. Clint had shot the webbing off Cap’s hands, and some newby, probably the one Rhodey had been talking about, came out of nowhere and grabbed the shield from Peter just as soon as the kid had taken it. Of course he gave it right back to Steve, and things escalated from there. Peter had pursued Wilson and Barnes into the airport proper, and Harley had taken the opportunity to sneak in following him.

Peter had broken through the glass, landing a solid kick on Falcon, before going after Barnes. Bucky had made a swing at him, but Peter caught it, much to Barnes’s shock and dismay.

“Is that a metal arm?” Peter asked, “That is so cool!”

You think that’s cool, wait til you get a load of me!” Falcon shouted making a charge at Peter.   
He never made it though, halfway there he caught a repulsor blast to his left wing, and it sent him spiralling out of control

“Likewise, bird brain!” Harley shouted, flying in out of the east gate, “Spidey, what did Tony say about going after Barnes?”

“Not to do it,” Peter replied, still holding back the Winter Soldier’s punch, “But they were getting away!”

Harley was about to make a retort, when Falcon came back and hit Harley in the side, dragging him into the air with him.

“Crap.” Peter grumbled, throwing Bucky off him and giving chase.

For the rest of the fight, Peter and Harley traded off fighting Bucky and Sam, until eventually Peter had them both pinned. Unfortunately, Wilson still had access to his falcon drone, and he used it to catch one of Spider-Man’s webs, and fling him out the window. Iron Lad, as per the plan, followed him out. 

Eventually the two groups managed to get back together in the lot, and faced each other down before charging, and the fight started back up all over again. Peter, again, went right against the plan. This time taking on Captain freaking America of all people. Iron Lad flew in to save Spidey’s ass again, as this time he managed to get himself pinned under a jet bridge. Eventually though, things took a turn for the worst, when the guy who could turn little turned really, really big. Peter and Harley both decided to concentrate their efforts on taking him down. 

Peter was running along the top of a jet, “Have any of you ever seen that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back!?” he shouted dodging a swing from the giant.

“Jesus, Tony, how old is this guy!?” Rhodes asked over the comms. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t carbon date him. He’s on the young side.” Tony snarked back, “But what does the best Star Wars have to do with this?”

“Actually I think I get where Spidey’s going with this!” Harley said, “You’re talking about the AT-AT’s on Hoth, right?”

“Exactly!” Peter shouted back, “I wrap up his legs”

“And then we knock him over!” Harley finished for him. 

“See, I knew it was a good idea bringing you two along!” Tony said, “Spider-Man you wrap big tiny’s legs, Harley you get him in the gut, and then when he’s bent over, RHodey and I give him the upper cut. Got it everyone?”

“Got it!” they all responded at once. 

And the plan worked pretty well too. Peter wrapped his legs, and as soon as things looked nice and tight, Harley flew in for a meteor kick to the gut. The force got Ant-Man bent over and stumbling, providing the perfect opportunity for Iron Man and War Machine to go in for the finisher.

“Alright, Tony, let’s go high!” shouted Rhodes.

“You got it!” Tony shouted back, the two flying in and Lang square in the jaw. 

Peter’s plan had worked like a charm. The hit from Iron Man and War Machine sent the giant Ant-Man tumbling to the ground. Peter had been giving a victory cry when when of Ant-Man’s flailing arms sent him flying into a pile of crates.

“Shit!’ Tony shouted, “Rhodey, you keep after Cap and Barnes, I gotta deal with this. Iron Lad, you’re with me.”

The two flew over to where Peter’s crumpled floor was lying in the debris. 

“Kid, you alright?” Tony asked. 

The sudden arrival startled Peter something fierce, and it took Tony a moment to calm him down.

“Hey, hey, hi” Tony said, “It’s me, it’s Tony.”

“Oh hey, Mr Stark” Peter said, voice clearly heavy with delirium from the hit, “That was scary.”

“Yeah, it was.” Tony replied, very serious, “I think that’s gonna be it for you today. Yeah, you’re done. Stay down.”

“No, Mr Stark, I’m fine I can keep going.”

“No, you're done. Stay down, or I’m calling Aunt May. Harley, this is one of those taking point moments I was talking about. Stay here with him, and make sure he stays here with you until Happy arrived to take you two back to the hotel. Got it?”

“Got it, Tony.” Harley said back.

“Good,” Tony said, lifting up off the ground, “I’ve got to go finish taking care of this, but I’ll see you both at the hotel restaurant later tonight.”

With that, Tony flew off back into battle, leaving his two young charges alone on the air strip.

“I think we did pretty good out there today, Harley.” Peter said, voice still haggard. 

“Me too, Parker” Harley said with a chuckle, “Me too.”

\-----

Happy had arrived not too long afterwards, bringing a change of clothes with him. He’d gotten the boys back to the Regent in record time, and once they reached their room, the pair promptly retired to their individual rooms and passed out hard. The fight with the Rogue Avengers had really taken it out of both of them, and they both slept straight through til about six, when Happy came to wake them up. He’d dragged both their asses right out of bed, reminding them that they had a dinner date with their new boss. Made sure they both knew to dress up for the occasion. The hotel restaurant was high end, and a certain dress code was expected. Thank god they’d both been told to pack a pair of their best. 

The three of them arrived at the restaurant at about seven, after both boys had a chance to shower, freshen up, and make it look like they hadn’t just been in a knock down, drag out with Captain America and half the Avengers. Peter was dressed in a suit that had been handed down to him by his Uncle Ben. Thankfully, the man had good tastes when he was younger, and had gone for a more timeless look, rather than cashing in on any of the horrible, awful trends of the 1980’s. Harley’s attire was already fairly high class, so he just threw a black jacket on over it. Happy had spoken with the Maitre D on their arrival, and he had personally escorted the three to their reserved both, a circular table nestled in a corner. The boys ordered soda, and Happy ordered a glass of scotch.

“So Happy,” Harley teased, “That how you stay Happy?”

“Do not tempt me right now, kid. You may be able to take on a few of Cap’s loser friends, but I am a different thing entirely.”

“Actually you might want to take that one back, Haps.” Tony said approaching the table, “After what I saw today, it might be you who’s up against another thing entirely.”

“Tony!”

“Mr Stark!”

“Hey boys, how you doing?”

“Just fine, Tony.” Harley said, filled with a new confidence by the day’s fight.

“Great!” said Peter, before the cheerfulness ebbed from his voice, “How’s Mr Rhodes?”

“Oh yeah, Rhodey.” Tony said, breath hitching, “The doctors say he’ll be fine. His legs are pretty messed up, and walkings gonna be a real challenge. But, luckily, his best friend is the owner of Stark Industries, worldwide leader in physical therapy and rehabilitation, so we’ll have stuff for that.”

Tony was clearly still very mad, and very broken up over what had happened to Colonel Rhodes. 

“And while I thank you for having the heart to ask, Peter, that’s not what I want to talk about here tonight. What I want to talk about tonight is the two of you and what an absolutely fantastic job you both did today.”

“Really?” asked Peter.

“You mean it?” asked Harley.

“Every word of it.” Tony answered, “You boys surpassed every single one of my expectations today. You handled yourselves well in combat, and your teamwork was impeccable. Especially with that tiny-big guy business. By the way, real stroke of genius your plan on that, Peter.”

“Thank you” Peter replied, clearly flattered by the praise. 

“And since I have never been a man to let good work go unrewarded, you will both be receiving in full everything I promised before you set off with me on this little venture. You will both be keeping your suits, and will have my full support on all of your future crime fighting, civilian saving endeavors.”

The boys showered him with thanks for at least five minutes before Tony could finally get them to quiet down.

“But let’s talk some more immediate rewards. I take it that this is probably your first time out of the country for both of you, correct?”

The boys confirmed, and Tony continued.

“Well, I told your mother and your aunts that this retreat would last the whole weekend, which means you both still have Sunday here. So, as thanks for all your hard work towards helping me track down a dangerous super powered lunatic, I’m going to have Happy take you on a run of the city. He’ll take you to all the cool museums, all the hot tourists locations, maybe do some souvenir shopping, and then lunch.”

Tony pulled a pair of cards out of his pocket.

“These are credit cards. You can do whatever you want with them, I’ll cover it. Just don’t go too hog wild with it. No buying some fancy German cars or anything like that. I don’t think your parents would like me sending either of you home with a Mercedes.”

Tony was getting up from the table when the Maitre D arrived.

“Good evening, Mr Stark, it’s an honor to have such an esteemed gentleman as yourself with us at the Regent Berlin. What can I get you and your guests this evening?”

“For me, it’ll have to be nothing, I’m afraid.” Tony said, an exaggerated sadness in his voice, “As I’m sure you’ve heard Captain America’s gone bananas, and I’ve got to take him down. As for these three fine gentlemen,” he waved over to Happy, Harley, and Peter, “It’ll be filet mignon all around. Medium rare. And for the older gentleman, make sure he gets all the scotch he needs. Your finest stuff. He’s going to need it with what he has coming tomorrow.”

Happy shot him a sarcastic laugh, as Tony turned away and walked out of the restaurant. 

\-----

The steak was the best either of them had ever had, and with the addition of a loaded baked potato and sauteed vegetables, both of them were stuffed to burst. By the time they stumbled back to the suite, more video games were out of the picture. The day had been long and hard enough already, and dinner had made it a thousand times worse. So there they sat in the living room, eyes half closed, and German HBO playing on the television. 

“If you had told me two days ago, that I would be fighting Captain America today, I would have laughed and called you crazy.” Harley said, blankly staring at the TV.

“Me too,” Peter mumbled in return, “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

They continued to “watch” TV until Harley heard a faint noise, sounded like snoring, coming from next to him. He turned his head, and sure enough, Parker had fallen asleep on the couch. Harley’d be lying if he said it wasn’t at least the tiniest bit adorable. Kid looked like some kind of puppy. It struck him eventually that this might be another one of those ‘taking point’ moments Tony had been talking about when they first got here. He wasn’t going to cary the kid to bed or anything, but he could at least get him a blanket or something. It took everything Harley had to pull himself off the couch, and stumble to Peter’s room, which by the way, was a complete trainwreck. Harley pulled the comforter off the bed, untangling it from the mess of sheets. It was thick and downey, heavier than your average cotton comforter, but Harley managed to get it all bundled up in his arms either way. Making his way back into the living room, Harley had found Peter had already fallen over from his previous sitting position. Harley carefully threw the heavy blanket over him, and Peter instinctually cuddled into it. Harley made sure to shut off the TV and turn out the lights on his way back to his room. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. For all the reasons he was expecting, and then some. 

\-----

They got up early the next morning to make sure they could get the most out of their day on the town. They had a lot to see, but not a whole terrible lot of time to see it. Luckily, one of their bigger stops, Gendarmenmarkt Square, was literally right outside the hotel. You stepped out the revolving door, and there it was. So they were able to knock that off the list without issue. The rest of the day was spent hopping around the city on a tour bus. Peter and Harley were having a great time, and Happy was trying his hardest not to have a heart attack keeping the two under control. They saw the rebuilt Reichstag, had a silly picture taken with an Otto Von Bismarck look alike in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Harley took special enjoyment in visiting the Technology Museum, and Peter thought the Spy Museum was the coolest thing ever. They saw what was left of the Berlin Wall. Harley had attempted to get Peter to climb on top of it while Happy wasn’t looking, but luckily the former boxer was able to put a stop to it before they got in trouble. Peter and Harley had both used their credit cards to buy themselves matching cheesy tourists shirts that read , “Ich Bin Ein Berliner”, and Happy struggled not to groan when they decided they would be wearing them for the remainder of the day. Eventually though, they had to get going, and after checking them out of the hotel, Happy drove them to their airport. They had waited there for Tony to arrive for two hours, before all three of them finally began to realize that something was wrong. 

“You two hang tight,’ said Happy, pulling his phone out, “I’m gonna try and get ahold of Tony.”

Happy walked off, leaving Peter and Harley alone in the terminal.

“What if something happened?” Peter asked, worried.

“I’m sure it’s just traffic or something.” Harley said trying to reassure his friend, “It’s not like he’d go after Captain America all by himself.”

That’s when it hit them like a truck. Oh god, Tony went after Captain America all by himself. 

“Oh this is bad,” Peter said clinging his bag to his chest, “This is very bad.”

“Relax, Parker.” said Harley, “He’s Iron Man. Even if he did go after Cap, he’s probably fine.”

Not even Harley believed what Harley was saying.  
“He was supposed to be here two hours ago, Harley!” Peter quietly shouted, “Does that sound like everything is fine to you? We’ve got to do something!”

“Like what!?”

“I don’t know, go after him!”

“Peter, we don’t even know where he is!”

Shit. Harley was right. They didn’t know where he was. Nobody knew where he was. He hadn’t told a single soul. Peter slumped down in his seat, dejected. The he got an idea.

“Wait,” Peter said, perking up, “What about that A.I. he has? FRIDAY right? She might know where he is!”

“And how exactly are we supposed to get a hold of his A.I., Parker?”

“Maybe your Iron Lad suit could access her?” 

That wasn’t a half bad plan, Harley thought. But the heavy metallic cases with their suits with them were already loaded onto the jet. Which would mean they would have to sneak out of the airport, get on the plane without anyone noticing, suit up and hope that the armor could access it. All for someone that they didn’t even know needed saving. 

“Harley, what if he’s really hurt?” Peter begged, “What if he’s injured, or trapped, or stranded, and we had the ability to help him but we didn’t? If he didn’t make it back, it would be our fault.”

Harley looked hard at the other. Peter was really worked up about this. The way he was talking about it, it was almost like it wasn’t the first time Peter had found himself in this situation. And besides, he was right. They had the ability to help, and if you have the ability to help, you should. That’s what being a hero is all about. 

“Fine,” Harley groaned, “But if we get busted, I’m telling them it was all your idea.”

Surprisingly enough, the pair managed to sneak out of the airport and onto the plan rather easily. Most of the workers were busy tending to other, larger jets, and making their way around the debris from the previous day’s events. They had found the cases in the overhead in the back of the plane. The both slipped into their suits, and tried their hardest to contact the AI, but to no avail. And then things got worse.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing!?” came the loud, angry voice of Happy Hogan from behind them, “I told you to stay in the terminal!”

“Look, Happ, it’s nothing we just wanted to see if we could get a lead on Tony and-”

“I don’t care, I told you to stay in the airport! And what the hell are you doing with those things one! What if someone saw you?”

Just then, as if some force of the divine decided it was time to interfere, the voice of FRIDAY came over the intercom. 

“Hello everyone, is there a problem?” she asked, in her usually calm demeanor.

“Yes!” shouted Peter, “Mr Stark was supposed to be here hours ago, and he still hasn’t shown up. Do you know where he is?”

“I last have him at a remote location in Siberia, before his suit went of line.” FRIDAY answered.

Happy was shaken from chewing out Harley at the news, “Siberia? What the hell was he doing in Siberia?” he asked, “AND WHY IS HIS SUIT OFFLINE!?”

“Boss was fighting with Captain Rogers as of my last recording,” said FRIDAY, “Captain Rogers managed to make a critical blow to Boss’s power core, and the suit went offline.”

Happy and Harley cursed under their breath. Peter had been right. Tony really, really was in trouble. He was stranded, with no power, at some remote location in one of the coldest, harshest places on Earth. 

“I still have his location marked,” she continued, “Would you like me to take you there?”

Before anyone could stop him, Peter shouted, “Yes!” and the plane began to take off. 

“What were you thinking!?” Happy yelled in a panic, “We don’t even know if there’s a landing strip there!”

“Well I guess we’ll just have to hope there is.” Peter said, refusing to budge on his decision.

“And if there isn’t!?” Harley questioned.

Peter thought about it. If there wasn’t a landing strip, they could be in some real trouble. But saving Mr. Stark was more important than. The world needed Mr. Stark, and the more Peter thought about it, he might need Mr. Stark. 

“Well I guess we’ll just have to hope there is.”

\-----

Tony had managed to make his way out of the bunker, but not without pain and difficulty. He couldn’t run diagnostics, but he was pretty sure he’d broken some ribs, and gained multiple contusions. He was in trouble, that was for sure. He was stuck in freaking Siberia, no power, no way out, in the freezing cold without any way to contact anyone. If he didn’t figure something out quick, he was done for. And that was bad news for everyone. Pepper and the others would be all torn up about it, his two new interns probably would be too. Ross would have an absolute field day with it. Tony could already see what would happen. Tony would be martyred, and Ross would use his death to stoke even more public fear and hatred of Captain America and garner support for his war against him. Not that Tony really minded that. Honestly, at the moment, Rogers could piss off and die for all Tony cared, Tony just didn’t want to give Ross any kind of help or satisfaction. 

That’s when Tony heard a faint noise in the distance, jet engines. It was unmistakable. It was followed by the plane itself. As it got closer Tony began to recognize it. That was his plane. His plane that should be docked in Berlin right now. What the hell was it doing here? The plane found its way down the runway through the snow and ce, and came to a stop only a few meters away. The stairs came down, and flying out of the jet came none other than Peter Parker and Harley Keener, both in full hero attire.

“Holy shit, Tony!”

“Oh my god, Mr Stark! Are you okay!”

“Yeah.” Tony gasped as he did his best to stand up, “I broke some stuff but I should be fine. What are you two doing here?”

“We came to rescue you!” said Peter.

“Looks like you needed it, too.” Harley added, “Come on, Parker, let’s get him on the plane.”

The two boys lifted him up by the arms and helped him on board. Happy was saying something now, having the boys take off his armor and check for wounds. But it all just kind of phased out for Tony.

They came to rescue him. Those two boys had come to rescue him. They didn’t have to. By all means, they just could have stayed put at the airport, but they didn’t. They came to rescue him, they saved his life. Those two boys he had by all means blackmailed into coming with him, saved his life. If they hadn’t shown up, Tony would have been as good as dead. But they came. As they flew back home, it really struck Tony just how much those boys had grown on him over that weekend. It was….nice having them around. They made Tony feel something new inside. Something good. Maybe this whole internship thing wouldn’t be such a bad idea to do for real.

\-----

It had been several days since they got back to America. Tony had been escorted immediately back to the compound where Pepper and Dr Cho were waiting. Peter and Harley had exchanged numbers, and promised to stay in contact with each other before they were sent back to their homes, new suits in tow, with glowing letters from Tony explaining how the boys had smashed all expectations at the Internship Retreat, and how Tony would be absolutely thrilled to have them continue working with him. Rhodey had new, specially made leg braces, and was slowly relearning how to walk. Cap had the audacity to send him a pseudo-apology in the mail, with a burner phone attached. It was obvious that Rogers was sincere about what he meant, but it was still just too soon, the wounds were still too fresh, and Tony just didn’t want to hear any of it. Ross had been up his ass too, but what did that matter. The old turd wasn’t in a position to be going after what Avengers he had left, especially after Cap broke all his friends out of the Raft. 

For the last few days, a new thought had been taking over Tony’s mind. Peter and Harley had done really well in Berlin. Not only had they held their own against the Rogue Avengers, they took the initiative to sneak on his plane, and go save his life. Sure, they were kids, but that hadn’t stopped them, their age didn’t make them not heroes. It got Tony thinking about things, about the youth of the world in general. Sure, they were young, but the future belonged to the young. What right did anyone have to keep them from doing their part to defend it?

Those were the thoughts in Tony minds as he marched into his workshop at the now very empty compound that day.

“FRIDAY!” Tony shouted as he entered the room.

“Yes, Boss?”

“I want you too open a new project file, highly confidential, accessible to me only.”

“Sure thing, Boss. What shall I call this new project?”

Tony thought about it for second, but it wasn’t long before the name struck him like lightning. 

“The Young Avengers Initiative.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well it took me a whole week to churn out, but I did it. Hope you enjoyed. Don'y forget to leave kudos if you liked it, and maybe leave a comment. Kudos are great, but specific feedback does wonders for motivation. 
> 
> But yeah, that's me LoneStar. See y'all on the flip side!


End file.
